About

The Recognizing Nurses 2018 Celebration was the professional nursing community’s awards gala and signature event of the year. The ceremony took place on Thursday, May 10 at Warehouse 305— at The Austin American-Statesman, 305 South Congress Ave.—where a long red carpet, a sleek red Mazda and a step-and-repeat banner awaited guests at the entrance as they arrived.

Warehouse 305 was decked out with ambient lights and music, beautifully decorated tables with flowers, delicious food, refreshing drinks, cozy sofas and photo ops. Guests socialized before the ceremony, which honored the extraordinary nurses in the Austin metro area.

Leigh Goldstein of The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing was announced the Recognizing Nurses 2018 Celebration winner, during a ceremony attended by over 400 healthcare professionals, their families, friends, and fans. This year’s Fab5 finalists also included Suzanne Ledbetter of Austin State Hospital, Bethany Miller of Hospice Austin, Zachary Rios of St. David’s Medical Center and Rosalva Santos of Pflugerville ISD. Each finalist received an award on stage, and got a chance to address and thank the audience. A video profile on each nurse also played for guests. The Texas Nurses Association District 5 recognized five different nursing program scholarship recipients at the event, including Casey Shepperd, Jessica Kirma, Kari McDonald, Gretchen Schuttger and Denise Oberlander. Proceeds from the event’s silent auction and community sponsorship packages helped fund the scholarships.

The celebration was the pinnacle event of Recognizing Nurses, an annual campaign from The Austin American-Statesman celebrating the outstanding nurses in the Austin area. The finalists were chosen by a non-partisan panel of judges after more than 400 nominations from colleagues, patients, family and friends, and the event saw overwhelmingly positive feedback from the nursing community.

This is the second year for Recognizing Nurses, and the celebration was presented in conjunction with the Texas Nurses Association District 5. The Statesman would also like to thank our community partners, Roger Beasley Mazda, St. David’s HealthCare, Ascension care teams at Seton,South University,Celltex, St. David’s School of Nursing at Texas State University, and the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, for making this event the amazing experience that it was.